Category: Credit Cards

There is a big myth out in the money world – you must have a credit file and the only way to get it is to go into debt. Both are simply not true.

You can exist with a zero credit score just fine. However, if you want to get a mortgage, it can be a little more tedious than if you have a credit score. But it is possible and as a matter of fact, many millionaires have a zero credit score simply because they do not ever borrow money. If you never borrow a dime, your score will be zero. If you have borrowed in the past, it will take many years to get down to a zero credit score, but it can be done.

Most debt free people however have a high credit score. How do they obtain this without going into debt? It is simple – you get a credit card that you use for something like a utility, cell phone or any recurring monthly payment and then you pay if off every month. This will give you a great credit score because your credit utilization will be low (and it will be zero if you pay before the statement date) and you will pay everything in full every month.

Having a credit file of some kind does make life easier and less expensive. Insurance companies, utility companies and even some employers are using credit reports to determine your rates, to see if a deposit is necessary and even to see if they should hire you. I highly recommend a credit report, but you don’t have to go into debt to obtain it.

Credit cards were designed to be a form of payment – just like a check, cash or now, a debit card. However, over the years, we have let that get out of hand and we use them to get what we want now instead of waiting until we have the money.

So as you can see, you can build a credit score without going into one dollar of debt. If you are already there, it is not too late. If you already have debt, the best thing you can do for your score is to pay it off and never use cards again (at least until you can use them as a form of payment). If you are new to the money thing and don’t have any credit yet, don’t hop on that hamster wheel. Simply get a small card, use it once a month and pay it off immediately. Voila – credit with no debt!

Anyone who has debt says this all the time. Nobody wants to stay in debt. However, getting out of debt takes more than just words and intentions. It takes action and a plan. In my podcast this week, I go in depth about how to take action and how to develop a plan yourself to get out of debt starting today. In my last blog post, we talked about how planning is something you can do immediately to begin the journey to wealth and financial freedom. So let’s look at how to plan to get out of debt successfully and as quickly as possible.

No one would ever build a house without a blueprint – a visual of every aspect of the house and a plan on how to build it successfully. And that’s what you need to get out of debt – the first step is to develop a blueprint. This is a visual of your finances – your real finances. This first step is actually what keeps most people from ever getting out of debt. They don’t want to walk in their truth, so they stay right where they are. If you are ever going to successfully get out of debt, you are going to need to be honest about your financial situation and be true to what you are willing to do to change it. You need a list of all of your income and all of your expenses – this includes accounts in collections. You need to know exactly what you owe in order to develop the best plan to pay it off.

Once you have your blueprint in place, you need to figure out the best plan for you to pay everything off. I want to caution you about paying for this. Most of the “debt consolidation” programs charge thousands of dollars and basically all they do is get you behind on every bill so they can get you a settlement offer. Doing this will make your credit score even worse than it probably already is. Once your score is damaged, it takes a long time to build it back up and even though you hopefully aren’t going into debt again, your score is your financial reputation and should be kept at a good number. We offer a coaching service and something like that is okay – getting advice from someone who’s been there to support you is one thing, but you don’t want to pay thousands to a company for something you can do yourself.

So now you know what you owe – next, you need to figure out how to pay it off. Using either the debt avalanche or the debt snowball method, you want to arrange your items in the order you want to pay them off. I always recommend the snowball method because of how quickly you can pay off items in full, but pick the method that will work best for you and keep you motivated. Once you start seeing debts being paid, you will continue to be motivated resulting in more sacrifice and more ideas on how to bring in more income. Developing a plan and actually starting the process are the keys to success when it comes to paying off debt.

I hope after today you will stop saying “I plan to get out of debt” and you will start getting out of debt by developing a plan and taking the actions required to finish the plan as quickly as possible. Even without any extra money, if you stop using debt and continue to make all of your debt payments, you will eventually be debt free. But your goal should be to take actions that get you there as quickly as possible so that you can truly begin your journey to wealth and financial freedom.

As promised on this week’s broadcast/podcast, I am sharing these great budget tips from @CarrieWilkerson. She is a fellow motivational speaker and author and when I read this, I knew you needed it, even as a reminder, because I did. What I loved about it is she, like me, didn’t sugar coat it. Sometimes we share dessert with you, making what we have to say go do smooth. But every so often we need to give you meat & vegetables to keep you healthy in your life and in your finances. I hope you will read this the way it was intended – with lots of love and support.

You can win in your finances – you will win in your finances! But the decision is yours. You are the author of your own story! Write a best seller!

Some budget tips…

[SPEND LESS]

+ If you want to make more, spend less. #truestory
+ If you’re complaining about being broke, spend less.
+ If you’re stressed about minimum payments or juggling dollars, spend less.
+ If you’re mad at yourself or your spouse or fighting about money, spend less.
+ If you’re jealous of other folks because of ______ then spend less.
+ If you want more choices about where to live, what to drive, where the kids go to school, quitting your job or having some options… SPEND LESS.

This is where it STARTS. YES – you can make more with your business. YES – you can still work to change your circumstance- but first SPEND LESS.

[BE AWARE]

Evaluate EVERY expense. Is is NECESSARY or just something you ‘deserve’?

What if you did ‘without it’ for a few weeks/months? Would it change your quality of life?

When I’m getting ahold of my sloppy financial habits again (this is a process, you know I’ve paid off boatloads of debt MORE THAN ONCE #slowlearner) —-

I ALSO DO THESE THINGS….

[BLINDERS ON]

I UNSUBSCRIBE from email ‘sales and newsletters’ – can’t buy what I don’t see!

I THROW AWAY catalogs that come in the mail – they don’t even come INTO THE HOUSE. Do NOT fool yourself ‘I’m just getting ideas, I’m making a wishlist, I’m just planning for when I can afford it.’ – NO NO NO NO – THROW IT AWAY. It will still be available for purchase when you can afford it. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER SALE.

I do NOT click on Facebook ads (those things follow you around and wear you down until you cannot help but buy. STOP IT)!

I do NOT attend home parties or demonstrations or trade shows or craft fairs or open houses or garage sales or ANYTHING WITH THE CHANCE TO BUY. Not when I’m reining it in. NOPE.

I TAKE THE APPS off my phone… Amazon, Starbucks, Instacart, ZigZag, Macys – ALL OF IT — OFF THE PHONE. Y’all – they have us figured out… if we can purchase with a click and without a brain, they WANT THAT. STOP THAT MESS. TAKE OFF THE APPS.

During commercials on TV I pick a project. I might tidy the sink or move a load from washer to dryer or go outside with the dogs – I AVOID MARKETING MESSAGES. YES – this is extreme. So is debt. So is financial stress. So is bankruptcy. So is NOT PAYING YOUR BILLS.

I SHOP in my CLOSET. IF I see an outfit I like on someone else or on FB — I go into my closet and drawers and put together something similar. Or do without.

I grocery shop ONCE a week and plan meals ahead of time to avoid mealtime meltdown and drive through overspends.

I use cash instead of cards.
I think in terms of effort… “how many xx do I have to sell or hours do I have to work to pay for this delivery pizza instead of doing a frozen pizza?”

Have a blessed day and please share this great information with your friends and followers!

Look out for Debbi’s new book, “50 Shades of Money”, in a few months. Until then, check out her best selling , award winning book “The ABC’s of Personal Finance” on her website, http://www.debbiking.com or anywhere books are sold!